In well operations it is often necessary to provide means for supporting a tubing string within a casing hanger, casing means or other wellhead component. It is desirable that the tubing hanger means which supports the tubing string be locked in its position in the casing hanger or other wellhead component and that the landing string and landing tool used for lowering the tubing assembly be readily and easily disconnected from the tubing hanger assembly. It is also desirable that the tubing hanger assembly be provided with a seal against the casing means in its locked position in the casing means.
Prior proposed tubing hanger assemblies and landing systems having included a variety of constructions for supporting a tubing string in a casing means and for effecting a seal between the tubing hanger assembly and the casing means. In such prior systems, locking of the tubing hanger assembly in the casing means or other well component required either difficult mechanical manipulation of the landing tool or auxiliary hydraulic actuation systems to achieve such locking. Such prior proposed systems were complex, were time-consuming, and in some instances, were likely to create additional problems because during manipulation of the landing tool and string to achieve locking, parts of the landing system might be detached because of the requirement for rotation of the landing tool and landing string. Some examples of hanger assemblies and landing systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,287,030; 3,468,558; 3,603,401; 3,688,841, all of which required rotation of drill pipe, landing string or running tool in order to achieve locking of the tubing hanger assembly with the casing means. An example of a fluid actuated system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,729. Utilization of the weight of a running string and drill collars to deform a packing for sealing engagement between the wellhead housing and a hanger is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,202.